Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Hiroyoshi Taniguchi

Makoto Uda

Hiroyuki Niikura

Tsuneo Endoh

Tsutomu Takahashi

Yasunobu Kawakami

Kiyoshi Katahira

Toshihiro Tsutsui

Hiroyuki Horimura

Kenji Matsumoto

Yasunari Kimura

Kensuke Honma

Tsuyoshi Baba

Masahiko Minemi

Taizou Kitamura

Ryuji Sano

Takashi Takazawa

Syogo Kawajiri

Kazuya Sekimoto

Cooling control device for a condenser is provided which includes the condenser, a cooling device for cooling the condenser, and a control device for controlling the cooling device. The cooling device includes a first cooling fan for cooling a gaseous-phase portion of the condenser, and two second cooling fans for cooling a liquid-phase portion of the condenser independently of the first cooling fan. The control device also includes a pressure control section for optimally adjusting a pressure within the gaseous-phase portion, and a temperature control section for optimally adjusting a temperature within the liquid-phase portion. The pressure control section operates the first cooling fan, in accordance with a detected pressure within the gaseous-phase portion, to adjust the pressure within the gaseous-phase portion. The temperature control section operates the second cooling fans, in accordance with a detected temperature within the liquid-phase portion, to adjust the temperature within the liquid-phase portion.

Cooling control device for condenser

When a flow of a working medium stagnates in an expander or evaporator of a Rankine cycle apparatus including a closed working medium circulation circuit, a high pressure exceeding an allowable maximum pressure level of the expander or evaporator is produced within the closed working medium circulation circuit. In such a case, the water-phase working medium is first discharged via relief valves out of the circulation circuit, so that the pressure within the circulation circuit can be lowered. Then, once vapor within the evaporator, having been lowered in temperature and pressure, flows backward within the closed working medium circulation circuit, the vapor is also discharged via the relief valves out of the circulation circuit. In this way, the pressure within the expander or evaporator can be reliably prevented from exceeding the allowable maximum pressure level.

Rankine cycle apparatus

Gaseous-phase portion of a condenser contains vapor and a non-condensing gas, such as air, that impedes condensation of the vapor, and a non-condensing gas discharge device of the condenser is arranged to discharge only the non-condensing gas from the condenser. The non-condensing gas discharge device includes a valve device, in the form of an air vent, for separating the non-condensing gas from the vapor and selectively discharging only the non-condensing gas from the condenser.

Non-condensing gas discharge device of condenser

In a liquid-level-position control device for a condenser in a Rankine cycle apparatus, first and second reference liquid level positions are set. When a position of the fluid level is lower than the first reference liquid level position, water is replenished to a condenser by a liquid-phase working medium supply section. When the position of the fluid level is higher than the second reference liquid level position, the liquid-phase working medium is discharged from within the condenser by a liquid-phase working medium discharge section. In this way, the liquid level, which is a boundary surface between water vapor and condensed water within the condenser, can be constantly kept at an optimal position.

Device for controlling liquid level position within condenser in rankine cycle apparatus

A condenser is provided that makes a liquid droplet of a liquid phase medium drop effectively, the liquid phase medium residing in a lower end opening of a medium passage of the condenser, thereby preventing any degradation in the performance of the condenser. In the condenser, vapor, which is supplied to a cooling pipe () connected to cooling fins (), is cooled, condensed into water, and recovered in a water-collecting tray () provided beneath the cooling pipe (), and a needle-shaped member () provided so as to face the lower end opening of the cooling pipe () ruptures the droplet that, due to surface tension, resides in the lower end opening of the cooling pipe () and makes it drop into the water-collecting tray (). A plate-form filter can be used instead of the needle-shaped member (), and in this case not only can the droplet be made to drop from the lower end opening of the cooling pipe () more effectively due to the capillary action of the filter, but also dust contained in the water can be removed.

Condenser

Rankine cycle apparatus, having closed working medium circulation circuitry, includes a collection mechanism for collecting a working medium leaked or discharged out of the circulation circuitry. The working medium collected via the collection mechanism is stored in an open tank, and the thus-stored liquid-phase working medium is returned to a condenser by means of a return pump.

A Rankine cycle system having a working medium circulation circuit () that includes an evaporator (), an expander (), a condenser (), and a feed pump () is provided in which a mixture of oil for lubricating the expander () and water, which is a working medium and has become mixed with the oil, is supplied to coalescer type water separating means (), thus separating the water from the oil. The oil from which water has been separated in water separating means () is returned to the expander (), and the water separated from the oil is returned to the working medium circulation circuit (). It is thus unnecessary to replenish the working medium circulation circuit () with water or replenish the expander () with oil.

Rankine cycle system

An outer periphery of an output shaft integral with a rotor of an expander of a vane-type operated by a high-pressure vapor is supported at its opposite ends by a static-pressure bearing mounted at one end thereof in a floated state provided by a liquid film of a pressurized liquid-phase fluid supplied from a pressurized liquid-phase fluid feed bore through a pressurized liquid-phase fluid passage, and by a static-pressure bearing mounted at the other end thereof in a floated state provided by a liquid film of a pressurized liquid-phase fluid supplied from a pressurized liquid-phase fluid feed bore through pressurized liquid-phase fluid passages. Vanes supported radially in the rotor for reciprocal movement are supported in floated states by a liquid film of a pressurized liquid-phase fluid supplied through pressurized liquid-phase fluid passages extending radially outwards within the rotor.

Rotary fluid machinery

In a Rankine cycle system for an internal combustion engine, including an evaporator () for generating a vapor, an expander () for converting a heat energy of the vapor into a mechanical energy, a condenser () for cooling the vapor discharged from the expander () to restore it into water, a tank () for storage of the water from the condenser (), and supply pumps () for supplying the water in said tank () to the evaporator () in a pressurizing manner, the water in the tank () is supplied via a water jacket () of the internal combustion engine () to a dispensing valve () by the lower-pressure pump (). A portion of the water dispensed by the dispensing valve () is further pressurized and supplied to the evaporator () by the higher-pressure pump (), and another portion of the water dispensed by the dispensing valve () is discharged to the tank () after dissipating its heat in an auxiliary () such as a heater for heating a vehicle compartment and the like. Thus, it is possible to sufficiently cool heated portions of the internal combustion engine () by the water which is a liquid-phase working medium, while maintaining the performance of the Rankine cycle system, thereby aiming at the disuse of a radiator.

Rankine cycle device of internal combustion engine

A condenser includes a cooling section having a plurality of vapor passages to convert vapor into water, a blower for drawing water produced in the vapor passages out of the vapor passages, and a recovery section for receiving the drawn-out water. Thus, the water produced in the vapor passages in the cooling section can be prevented from occluding the vapor passages.

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Wako, Japan

Hiroyoshi Taniguchi